The ongoing investigation of Sherlock Holmes, reported from the Peoria, Illinois outpost of Baker Street's dirtiest half a dozen.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Mitt Romney of Sherlocks

The world of Sherlock Holmes is normally one in which fans
can escape the everyday debates of things like politics and religion, so I hate
to bring the topic up. But with the news of late focusing on the Republican
National Convention on one hand, and publicity for the upcoming show Elementary on the other, I can’t help
but notice a similarity between presidential candidate Mitt Romney and CBS’s
new Sherlock: a certain lack of true enthusiasm.

On both sides,
there’s this open-minded sort of resignation, as both Republicans and
Sherlockians go, “Well, it’s what we’re getting . . .”

Yes, the publicity machines are fired up and tossing out
positive spin for all they’re worth. But when you get quotes from people who
aren’t directly involved . . . well, not so much.

In USA Today, the ever exuberant Kristina Manente manages
two “brilliant”s and one “flawless” about BBC’s Sherlock, but when it comes to Elementary,
it almost sounds like she’s talking about the younger sibling who was a few
bricks shy of a load, starting with “To be fair . . .”

But the lukewarm even sneaks in from the executive
producer of Elementary, in what might
be one of my favorite promo quotes: “I’ve seen Sherlock in other novels, in comic
books, in television shows, in movies, in TV movies. Some are better than
others, but nobody has managed to ruin the franchise.”

Nope, nobody has. But we’ve sure seen some attempts that
did nothing to help the legend of the Master Detective. Elementary
is now less than a month away. Let the excitement begin!

Because guess what? Unlike the presidential campaign, American
television doesn’t have a second candidate.